Taking A Trip Down Memory Lane
by CaptainDan52
Summary: Kevin and Gwen haven't been in contact much since his last job, so this encounter was nothing short of a pleasant surprise. (This is my first submission, so reviews would be greatly appreciated)
1. Chapter 1

A car horn went off in the rain-drenched street outside, which was almost loud enough to drown out the music playing in the near-empty bar. But the man sitting by the counter didn't respond; he continued to sit quietly, with his face buried in his hands.  
"Still pissed about your last job?" the bartender asked as he served the man a glass of Pepsi.  
"Is the new pope Hispanic?" the man retorted as he took a sip of his drink.  
Just then, someone called from the back room.  
"Bob! We need some extra muscle here!"  
"Be right there!" he said, before turning to the man. "Don't start any fights while I'm out, OK?"  
"Sure thing, Bob," the man assured the bartender as he walked through a set of swinging doors into another room.  
Another car horn went off, this time followed by the sound of a woman shouting.  
"TAXI!"  
The man still didn't turn his head, but he looked out of the corner of his eye and saw a woman in a blue raincoat. She looked pretty agitated, having missed a taxi to escape the rain. The man then looked back over at his drink, not thinking much of the woman. It wasn't that he didn't want to help her; normally, he would've offered to drive her himself. But today he wasn't himself. At least that's what it felt like. Or maybe it was the water falling off the woman's raincoat as she took a seat next to him.  
"How long until the bartender gets here?"  
Once the initial shock subsided, the man turned to inform the woman about the bartender's whereabouts. But then, another feeling of shock ran through him as the identity of the woman looked him straight in his dark, cavernous eyes.  
"Gwen?"  
"Kevin?"  
They haven't been in contact much since his last job, so this encounter was nothing short of a pleasant surprise.  
"I-uh, were you going somewhere?" he asked her.  
"Um, yeah, I live a couple of blocks nearby," she explained. "But even with this jacket, I can't bring myself to walk there in the rain. What have you been up to?"  
"Nothing much, really," he took another sip of his drink. "With the job market the way it is, I can't get anything reliable."  
"Yeah, same here. It wouldn't be so bad if the people who replaced us weren't so awful."  
"Thank you!" he exclaimed. "Oh, by the way, how's your cousin?"  
"The same as you remember him."  
"Wonderful," he moaned.  
Kevin then took another sip of his drink before finding the whole glass empty.  
"You said you live around here, right?"  
"Yeah, why?"  
"I need a place to stay."  
She raised a skeptical eyebrow, "That's your best excuse?"  
"Just be thankful I didn't go with the 'space pants' line."  
"You mean the one about my ass being 'out of this world'?"  
"Well, I'd be lying if I said it wasn't."  
She playfully smirked, knowing Kevin was still the same man she knew and loved, even after their time apart.  
"Alright," she took his hand as they left the bar, "but I'm on top."  
"I missed you too, Gwen."


	2. Chapter 2

A pair of veiny red eyes glared scornfully at at the alarm clock, as if that gesture alone would make it stop.

When that ultimately failed, a hand reached over and muted the mechanical pest.

"Thanks," said Gwen.

"My pleasure," Kevin groaned cynically.

Gwen briefly massaged her eyes before rising out of bed, putting on a shirt, and opening the curtain that overlooked the New York City streets below.

"Wow," she remarked. "The weather cleared up a lot since last night."

"Too bad I didn't."

The woman rolled her eyes.

Kevin slowly sat up in the bed, letting the sheets uncover his bare chest as he loosened his grip on them.

Bright lights pierced the window into the room, contrasting Gwen's figure to Kevin's brief delight.

"Hey," he said, distracted from his fantasizing, "isn't that my shirt?"

Gwen looked at the shirt she had put on, which was, in fact, the shirt Kevin had worn the night before.

"Sorry, Kevin."

"Don't apologize; I just forgot how cute you looked in it."

"Oh," she remarked, feeling her cheeks turn a soft pink. "Thank you."

"No problem. In fact, you can wear it while I go shower."

"The shower isn't working right now."

"Oh."

He thought for a second, before walking over to her and lifting her into his arms.

"What are you doing?" asked Gwen, visibly surprised.

"Change of plans," replied Kevin, as he carried her out of the room.

. . .

Gwen turned off the hot water knob before stepping into the bathtub with Kevin, and resting her head upon his marble-like chest. His fingers played softly with the strands of her soaking wet hair, occasionally moving some aside to get a better look at her face.

"I missed you," she barely whispered.

"So did I," he nodded. "And I missed picking on your cousin."

She chuckled. "So did I."

"This place is kinda nice. How long have you been here?"

"About a year. It's not much, though."

"It's better than what I have."

"And what do you have?"

"Roommates."

"Eh," she shrugged, "living alone isn't any better."

"I guess not."

"Just out of curiosity, where is your place?"

"39th Street. Why?"

"You live in Hell's Kitchen? That's awesome."

"Yeah, I can't really afford a - wait, what?"

"I said, 'that's awesome'."

"You think so?"

"Well, I've never been there; but yes, I do."

"Let's go then."

"What? Now?"

"Sure, get dressed and I'll take you there."

"…OK. Could you get that towel for me, please?"

"Coming right up."

Kevin reached for a towel hanging next to the shower, and gently tossed it towards the door.

"Kevin," Gwen reminded him, "I can't reach that far from here."

The man didn't respond; he just tilted his head to the side and smirked at her.

She shook her head as she reluctantly began lifting herself out of the bathtub, "You're a bastard, you know that?"

"I missed you too, Gwen."


	3. Chapter 3

The couple briefly discussed how they would get from Gwen's house to 39th Street. The sidewalk would still be wet from the other day, and Gwen was afraid of slipping and falling. Kevin didn't want to take a taxi because he never had enough money on him to pay for it. And for that same reason, he didn't want to take the subway either, plus Gwen was claustrophobic and she was used to taking the bus anyway.

So they agreed on taking the bus and headed out.

While they waited, Kevin turned to her and asked, "Since when are you claustrophobic?"

"I don't know," Gwen shrugged. "I guess I've always been."

"If I recall correctly, you were also afraid of spiders. Are you still?"

She nodded silently. All of a sudden, she felt his arm around her shoulder, pulling her closer to him.

"What are you doing?"

"I hate cold weather, and I needed some body heat."

"Oh," she responded. "Is it working?"

"Yeah, thanks."

"No problem."

The bus pulled up shortly afterwards. The couple boarded and found a seat in time before the bus started moving again. Neither of them said much for most of the ride, but Gwen finally broke the ice after a few minutes.

"You know," she remarked, "you haven't told me about your roommates. What are they like?"

"They're pretty cool."

He was about to continue when the bus came to a stop. Outside was a road sign that said "39th St." The couple stood up, thanked the driver, and stepped off the bus before it left. Gwen looked around, taking note of the trash that made the sidewalks unsettling. Graffiti covered the walls, the trees were wilted like hunchbacks, and a basketball court in the distance seemed to have been unused for years. Some of the cars had dents and bullet holes in them, and the sounds of a chain and a dog barking angrily echoed against the faded brick buildings.

"This is your place?" she asked incredulously.

"Believe it or not, this is the best I've ever seen it," he chuckled. "But don't worry; I got your backside."

"You mean, my back?"

"That too."

She rolled her eyes uncomfortably as he started off, tugging on the arm he still had resting on her shoulder. They were heading towards one of the apartment buildings. The green paint on the door had partially come off, leaving holes where the wood had become visible. Kevin gestured for her to wait at the bottom of the staircase while he went up and knocked on the door. Shouting could be heard behind the door, such as "You get it," and "I ain't gettin' nothin'!" Finally, the rusted mail slot at the bottom of the door opened.

"Who is it?" a voice demanded.

"Hey, Randy," Kevin greeted.

The mail slot promptly closed and the door opened. A man in a blue and white Yankees cap answered the door, clearly excited.

"Kevin!"

The two men embraced.

"How are ya, man?"

"Good, thanks. Everyone still in there?"

Randy nodded.

"Awesome. They won't mind if I bring in a friend, do they?"

He gestured for Gwen to come up to the door.

"Randy," Kevin introduced, "this is Gwen. Gwen, Randy."

"Nice to meet ya," Randy shook her hand. "Come on in."

They made their way inside towards a large room, which seemed to have been decorated by someone who really like the color red. The wallpaper had red and orange patterns on it and the carpet and furniture had similar shades of red as well. Sitting around the room was Randy with a group of 10 other men. Some of them were playing cards, but they were all talking to each other. Then, almost simultaneously, everyone else turned to Kevin and excitedly greeted him.

He waited for them to settle down enough before saying something.

"How are you guys?" he asked.

"Doing alright," one of them answered.

"Not as well as you, though," someone else added, referring to Gwen. "You gonna introduce us?"

"Ah, yes," assured Kevin. "This is Gwen. She's the woman I've been telling you about."

Kevin then proceeded to introduce Gwen to everyone in the room.

"Gwen," he began, "you already met Randy. Then there's Zack, Jim, Ron, Dave, Shaun, Hank, Tony, Ed, Matt, and…where's Adam?"

"I'm making coffee," a voice called from the kitchen. "Can't find any sugar, though."

"Hang on," Kevin replied, "I got a pinch of some right here."

"You do?" Gwen asked.

Kevin immediately answered her with a firm pinch on her butt. Gwen softly yelped before pushing one hand against his arm while her other hand gently rubbed her afflicted area. She was now blushing a bright red to match the room which was now overwhelmed with near-maniacal laughter.

"What the hell was that for?" she muttered through her teeth.

"Lighten up, will ya?" said Kevin. "Compared to what they usually find funny, that was pretty modest."

Gwen was about to reply, but she realized, since he knew them better than she did, she should take his word for it. So she reluctantly nodded as the two of them sat down. The guys caught up with Kevin and his whereabouts since they last saw him. Eventually, the couple decided they were ready to leave.

"Keep in touch, you guys," the group waved goodbye as Kevin and Gwen headed out the door.

They made their way back to the bus stop, and waited.

"Sorry about that," Kevin turned to her.

"About what?" she wondered.

"Pinching you back there. No pun intended, by the way."

She chuckled softly, "Well, I admit, that was pretty funny. Though it would've been funnier at the time if I wasn't the one getting pinched."

"If it'll make you feel any better, I'll let you pinch me back."

"For real?"

Kevin nodded, and she promptly obliged, taking the opportunity to use her nails on him.

"Oww!"

"Stop whining; you earned that one."

"I know, but it still hurt."

Fortunately, the bus arrived a short while later. Kevin and Gwen boarded the vehicle and sat down, then the driver headed back to the bus stop near Gwen's place.


	4. Chapter 4

With her arms around his, Kevin escorted Gwen to the bottom step of the staircase to her domicile. She embraced him appreciatively before ascending the staircase, turning around at the top step to catch Kevin ogling her from below. She cleared her throat to regain his attention.

"Sorry," he said. "It just completely hypnotizes me."

"I'll take that as a compliment," she rubbed her scalp pitifully.

"In all seriousness, though," he continued, "I really enjoyed our time together."

An eyebrow lifted above Gwen's eye illustrated genuine surprise, especially considering how rarely he expressed such emotions openly.

"Likewise," she replied. "Keep in touch, will you?"

"How? I don't have your number anymore."

"Right, right," she reminded herself as she reached for Kevin's phone.

"Just putting in my number…and, there we are."

"Thanks," he said as he retrieved the device. The couple kissed briefly before the man stated, "Catch ya later."

"Wait," she stopped him. "What are you gonna do now?"

"Probably get some lunch, or maybe a cup of coffee."

"Can I come with you?"

He looked at her suspiciously. "Don't you have better things to do?"

"No. Not today, anyways."

An affectionate smirk formed across his mouth, beaming with a sensation similar to the one felt by the hand that was caressing Gwen's scarlet hair.

"Alright," he relented as they started off . "Lead the way, Gwendolyn."

"Well, there's a great place around here you'd like."

"Is it anything like Mr. Smoothie?"

"Of course not. Why? Did you want Mr. Smoothie?"

"You're kidding, right?"

She chuckled, holding him closer, "I missed you too, Kevin."

. . . . .

_FIN_


End file.
